Our Zoo

When George Mottershead moved to the village of Upton-by-Chester in 1930 to realise his dream of opening a zoo without bars, his four-year-old daughter June had no idea how extraordinary her life would become. Soon her best friend was a chimpanzee called Mary, lion cubs and parrots were vying for her attention, and finding a bear tucked up in bed was no more unusual than talking to a tapir about granny's lemon curd. The early years were not without their obstacles for the Mottersheads. They were shunned by the local community, bankruptcy threatened and then World War Two began. Yet George's resilience, resourcefulness and tenacity eventually paid off. Now over 80 years later, Chester Zoo has achieved worldwide renown.